


Spicy Rice Crackers

by natrash (LeviAckerhan)



Category: Gintama
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 08:16:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4428047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeviAckerhan/pseuds/natrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Big Sis, did you know?... These spicy rice crackers you gave me... I don't know who I'm supposed to share them with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spicy Rice Crackers

**Author's Note:**

> Silly title. Anyways, enjoy this slightly messy 'too-long-for-a-drabble-too-strange-for-a-fic' fic. Special mention for the bae i-just-want-to-destroy for the proofreading!  
> edit: also smh my friend somehow found this fic and im honored but im that i was picturing the scene in japanese the whole time hence the poor english. so i edited it a bit. no major changes though, just some tweaks on the grammar here and there. pls bear with me thks.
> 
> Setting: Some time after Mitsuba's death.

"Oi, Sadist, are you going to jump off the bridge?"

The feminine voice of a certain China girl made her presence officially known, even though Okita was already aware she was approaching before she spoke out. Having antagonized her for such a long time, he had already grown familiar of her walking pattern. If he wanted to, he could've launched a surprise attack there and then, but he wasn't in the right frame of mind to antagonize her at the moment.

_Not today._

"Go away." he dismissed lowly, not meeting her eyes nor moving an inch from his spot.

Kagura stared at the man who was currently sitting on the wooden bridge's railing, hunched over with a big pack of spicy rice crackers in his hands. The mellow gleam of the sunset illuminating his face was nothing short of magnificent—and yet, his eyes seemed to absorb none of its radiance.  Those crimson orbs he had seemed lifeless, devoid of his signature evil gleam that usually dwells within.

Despite the position where Kagura stood only gave her a side view of his face, she already knew that the distressed-looking police officer wasn't gazing at the sunset, nor the coursing river below. The silence only served to amplify the melodramatic blowing of the wind, as it fanned gentle ripples against the water.

Kagura set down her umbrella, closing it up albeit the mighty sun hasn't fully retreated yet.

"I heard about your sister," she spoke, "When is the funeral service?"

Okita exhaled a deep breath. His lips felt a little too heavy to speak up. Even breathing itself was painful, like continuous pangs were clobbering his chest. Yet at the same time, none of this pain affected him; it was almost like his subconscious had shut his senses off, making him immune to the pain. The paradox in himself was almost nonsensical, and he found it truly laughable. How long has it been since he was last reduced into this sort of mess? He didn't know. And even if he did, he didn't want to recall.

"..... Tomorrow." he finally responded as he shifted his gaze lower.

His eyes went out of focus again, wondering how she had learnt about his sister. They had never met. He did talk about 'an annoying Yato girl who always gets on my nerves' to his sister at some point but as far as he's concerned, he had never disclosed about his familial relations to anyone apart from the Shinsengumi.

_Ah, yes, danna was there._

He, almost suddenly, realized that fact. How could he have forgotten?

Maybe all this blankness in his mind was hindering his brain from its usual function, he wondered for a split second.

"If you kill yourself today, you won't be able to attend her funeral tomorrow, yes?" Kagura uttered, with a hint of genuineness which made him wonder just how stupid she actually was.

"Although, if you really want to jump, I won't stop you," she added.

_So dumb._

"I'm not as stupid as you are. I won't kill myself over the somebody's death, even if that person is the only human I ever cared about. Ending my life won't make her happy." He muttered in monotone.

Kagura side-eyed him for a moment and unknowingly cracked a small smile. Of course he wouldn't jump; this is _him_ we're talking about. It would be more likely for him to castrate whoever it was who wronged his sister rather than considering something as mindless as suicide. She instinctively had this knowledge at the back of her mind, but she had no way to know the depth of loss he felt being an orphan with only a living sister—who was now gone.

Undoubtedly there was some sense of relief knowing that he was still somewhat levelheaded after all that. That said, staring at his crouched back earlier had her unsettled; and thus, she decided that she wasn't done here yet.

Really, that back shouldn't be hunched down like that. Seeing this pathetic sight was more awful than seeing how he sacrificed himself to go against Joui assailants in that incident with Kirie. That dumb back should've been up straight with his usual confidence and a police's sense of responsibility. That dumb back was the back that the citizens of Edo had entrusted their safety on.

"Well, then..." Kagura hopped over the railing and sat by his side. Truthfully, the question of _'what are you doing'_ was at the tip of his tongue, but he decided he was too tired to say it.

He didn't care anyway.

_(He did.)_

Kagura watched as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, admiring the sunset although her physique did not personally get along with the sun itself.

"You think moping around like this will make her happy?" she teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

Frankly speaking, Okita didn't think Gintoki would talk about Mitsuba's death to anyone—but knowing Danna, he probably thought there was no point to hide it from his 'kids' since the connection between the Yorozuya and Shinsengumi was, after all, undeniable. Okita did not mind, but the fact that this China girl was sticking her nose in this matter was slightly unexpected—seeing that they had never been 'chummy' enough to share personal stories. As far as he knew, all they were was simply rivals. Or sparring partners, on a stretch. He didn't think this brat would actually strike a conversation with him about something so sensitive. Although, that might also be because she's too dense to realize that this was a sensitive matter.

Really, she could've been much better if she had used her brain more often. She had proven that she could be perceptive at times, but why would she choose not to do it? How could someone choose to live in their own world of innocence with such carelessness and optimism? That was something that had bothered him ever since he first met her. She was a peculiar being. It was as if she was wrapped in another world where he couldn't reach. He couldn't bring himself to trust what she was; she must be hiding something. She's got to be. There was logically no way one could live in ignorance if they had such powers that she had.

He didn't get her; she was probably the only person he had not managed to crack. Her unpredictability annoyed him, yet intrigued him at the same time, and yet he just couldn't get enough of her. By the time he realized that he had gotten a little too invested in 'unraveling' her, she had already occupied a large part in his life. And then regret kicked in.

Not only had he not been successful in cracking her open, he was now the one being cracked open. Forget about decoding her, now he had to deal with _her_ infiltrating his mind! That's obviously the last thing he wanted to happen. Nothing good would come from that. Bearing this in mind, he had since tried to push her away out of his thoughts. Needless to say, he was incredibly frustrated by how easily he let his guard down when this China brat is concerned. Every damn time...

He rolled his eyes as he inwardly lamented at his own dragged-out monologue.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" he uttered with slight annoyance, "I don't need it. I told you I won't jump, so go away already."

"Me? Comforting _you_? I'm trying to comfort your poor sister's lost soul." she remarked, "Did you know dead souls cannot peacefully go to heaven if they still have an attachment to this world? If you keep worrying her, then she cannot go to heaven, yes?"

"What is this, a Bleach episode?" he deadpanned.

Kagura didn't reply.

He grabbed one rice cracker, "I told you before, right? Don't go blabbering things that are out of your character." She merely scoffed at that.

Okita heaved an exasperated breath, albeit a part of what she said was actually starting to make sense. No, this must be the effect of sitting beside her—he was starting to become as dumb as she was!

"You know what... I can see ghosts ever since I was a kid." Kagura said. He almost rolled his eyes.

"The only ghost on this empty bridge is you," he retorted.

Kagura narrowed her eyes at him, and then gestured towards the empty space behind him.

"Ssh, I hear your sister speaking, she's saying you should share those rice crackers with me." she stated, her eyes at the pack of rice crackers he's holding.

_Ah, there it was. Her gluttony showing up._

Okita opened a pack of rice cracker and ate it, ignoring her pursuing eyes. "I'll give you one if you bark three times and lick my shoes." he challenged in complete monotone.

In a flash, her umbrella was up against the underside of his chin.

"Do you realize what situation you're in right now, huh?? I can shoot you down this river and you will die, yes?!" She threatened loudly with her mafia accent, tapping the tip of her umbrella at his chin.

But after a second, she lowered her umbrella away and rested the tip against the ground. _'Guess his sadistic self is still not here, huh..._

Sougo eyed down at the purple umbrella, wondering what in the world was in her mind.

"What, now?" he blurted out before he had time to process his thoughts. (He didn't really want to ask, but she was so irritating and odd at the same time and he couldn't help but wonder.)

She didn't reply, though. It seemed like she didn't think it was something she should respond to, and she was now gazing at the sky which was no longer radiated by the sun. The darkness had just fallen and the stars had just began to appear among the clouds.

Okita watched as she swung her legs back and forth. So childish, he thought.

He resented the fact that he would instinctively let his guard down for her even though it's against his will. And the thing was, whenever he thought he had successfully pushed her away, she would come back with a hard punch in the gut, as if punishing him for trying to take her off his mind.

Just like this day.

When he thought there was nothing, she came out of seemingly nowhere and reminded him that there was _something_.

"Oi," she began, "Gin-chan... told me to not ask about or go to your sister's funeral,"

"—but I asked about it anyway, yes? ... Well, he thinks I'll cause a mess if I go, but I think I should ask the actual sibling himself." She continued, "Should I attend the funeral?"

Sougo had to admit that certainly was not something he expected she would ask. To be honest, he hadn't even given it a thought until that moment. And while it's true that she could cause chaos wherever she goes, he wouldn't think she would go as far as to stir up a mess in someone's funeral. (Except her own, of course.) In that sense, he thought, maybe Gintoki was trying to protect something else?

—Men's pride?

That man probably knew Sougo would be grieving at the funeral, and perhaps, it was a way to prevent her from seeing the weak side of Sougo? (Especially when he knew Kagura and Sougo were always at each others' throats). Men have their dignity after all.

Though that is a valid point, Sougo hadn't really... _hidden_ his weakness from her. If he recounted the many times he let her see his weak side, the number of the occurrences would amount to more than the fingers in his hands. And feet. He had let her throw him around, pin him onto the ground, see his constipated face, and so much more. He understood that this was something that he didn't want to let her see, but there must be something else.

Perhaps it's because of _Kagura_ —maybe that man didn't want Kagura to grieve. He was like her earth-dad, after all. And he had definitely guessed this little kid would cry at Mitsuba's funeral; he certainly didn't want her to cry.

_Oh. Who would?_

The gears in his brain were starting to work and things started to add up. Sougo blinked a few times, feeling an unfamiliar ache in his chest. Who knew debating about this little brat's attendance in the funeral could be so distressing?

For one, he wanted to properly introduce her sister to this infuriating little brat, but he also didn't want to make his sister see anyone grieve at her funeral.

On top of that, the weight of seeing her tears on his most vulnerable day—he didn't want that either.

_Why in the world must it be this brat?_

Seriously though, what's there about this annoying, offensive, sukonbu-smelling brat that he wanted to protect?

It's almost ridiculous.

"So...?" Kagura stared at him, waiting for his response.

Okita let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"No." He answered.

Kagura looked at him, and then shifted her position.

"... Alright."

Sougo stayed quiet, waiting for any reason or further explanation from her. It never came, however.

"Are you going to obey what I told you?" he asked out of curiosity, "This would be the first time if you do. Maybe it's going to rain pigs today."

"It's 2 vs 1, yes?" she replied with a shrug, her feet still swinging back and forth. "And I'm not obeying you, I'm obeying Gin-chan."

He actually raised an eyebrow at that, both impressed and suspicious at how she was so agreeable for once. For a moment, he was suspicious as to whether she meant her words, but then he decided there was no reason for her to lie about this matter. The fact that she asked in the first place already revealed her sincerity about this issue—and frankly he was pretty impressed at how well she's handling this. Again his mind started to ponder about this little gesture of respect she had just shown, which made his lifelong quest of 'removing China thoughts' much more difficult than it already was. Honestly, she was like a spiderweb. She's difficult to get out of, and she's everywhere. She's in every corner of his mind.

The flaxen-haired man heaved another sigh again for that day, "You're such an annoying brat."

"Why are you complaining when I'm doing something according to your interests?" Kagura countered, crossing her arms.

"Get lost, damn brat."

Kagura looked at the sandy-haired man, who somehow seemed like he was looking into the reflection of the moon that had just started to shine.

"Have you transformed from an S to an M after all?" she asked offhandedly, though in a teasing manner.

"Ha?? Are you crazy?"

His voice actually sounded of something—of an emotion—as opposed to the dull, frigid voice earlier, and she chuckled a bit.

"You look like a police officer who lost his badge and is afraid of being scolded by his boss." she said, swinging her legs.

Sougo sighed a little too dramatically. "Sadists feel sad too, sometimes. I wish people would be more considerate."

Kagura let out a scoff at that.

He looked away listlessly, observing the stream of waves and ripples illuminated by the neon lights of Kabuki-cho.

The young police officer kept silent as he sort of waited for her to say something—which was unusual on its own—but she didn't speak a word either. The coming nightwind breezed by for a moment, cutting through the silence gently. It blew slowly, but as it did, the air became colder; a reminder of the approaching summer night.

Not wanting to fall into a silence again, Okita spoke up and offered, "Oi, I'll tell you what. If you go away now, I'll give you a pack of rice cracker."

She looked at him.

"Nope," she responded.

He instantly found her eyes—with his eyes full of question—as he was completely caught by surprise from her refusal. He thought she would definitely agree, but then again came her unpredictability. What was this girl trying to achieve?

_—And why?_

"I will leave when I want to." She elaborated a moment after, "You don't get to tell me what to do, stupid chihuahua."

_Ah. Of course._

A small smirk escaped his lips.

Noticing that the usual colors in his eyes had fully returned, Kagura felt a brief sense of victory. She pointed her umbrella at him, "It's not because I want to stay here to comfort you, by the way." she stated firmly.

The girl turned back and plopped down on the bridge, dusting her pants after she did. "As a matter of fact, I am going to leave now." she declared.

Before he could give a response, she tugged the tip of her umbrella at his back and said firmly, "Sit up straight. This is the back that the people of Edo are leaning on. Can't let them see it all crouched down like this, yes?"

Sougo smirked at himself as he closed his eyes, "Are you going to lean on it, too?"

He heard a condescending snort from her, and then the tip of her umbrella moved to the back of his head.

"You cannot die unless I kill you, got it?" she spoke, and he felt her smile.

"Try me, then." he responded with a small smile of his own.

"Heh. I will." She replied, starting to walk away.

Sougo stared at the ripples on the water, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.

_Big Sis, did you know? The person I chose to share my spicy rice crackers with...she's spicy as fuck._


End file.
